memory_betafandomcom-20200223-history
The Return of the Archons
| date = 2267 | stardate = 3156.2 | story = Gene Roddenberry | teleplay = | director = | novelization = Star Trek 9 by James Blish | episode = TOS season 1x22 | production = 6149-22 | airdate = | altimage = }} "The Return of the Archons" was the 22nd episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, in the show's first season, first aired on 9 February 1967. The episode was written by Gene Roddenberry and , directed by and novelized in Star Trek 9 by James Blish. Summary The enters the C-111 system after receiving a 100-year-old distress call from the ''USS Archon''. After entering orbit of planet Beta III, Captain Kirk sends a landing party down to the planet to investigate. When the first party begins to exhibit strange behaviour, Kirk personally leads a second party down to the planet. The party discovers that the inhabitants are a controlled people, controlled by the lawgivers and are part of "The Body", which is all overseen by a man named . The people are like pleasant zombies until the Red Hour strikes, enveloping the people in a twelve hour orgy of violence and emotional outbreak. While Kirk and the landing party are investigating, the Enterprise is slowly being pulled out of orbit of Beta III to be absorbed by "The Body", which is what happened to the Archon a century earlier. On the surface, Kirk discovers that the survivors from the Archon formed an underground group to resist "The Body", and Kirk manages to contact their descendants, and arranges their help to destroy Landru. Upon finding Landru, they discover that Landru is a highly sophisticated computer that was built 6,000 years earlier. The original , a respected philosopher, only wanted to guide his people to become peaceful and civilized. While Landru had programmed the computer with his intellect, it didn't have his wisdom, and over the centuries the computer interpreted Landru's instructions literally and didn't allow anyone to show independent thought. Kirk persuades the computer that it has destroyed Betan society and that it had failed in its objective, prompting the computer to destroy itself. The people of Beta III are now free, and Kirk arranges for Federation assistance in putting the planet back together again. References Characters Episode characters :Bilar • Clifford Brent (?) • David Galloway (?) • Bill Hadley • Hacom • James T. Kirk • • Ryan Leslie • Christopher Lindstrom • Marplon • Leonard McCoy • O'Neil • Osborne • • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • • Tula • Nyota Uhura Novelization characters :Bilar • Hacom • James T. Kirk • • Christopher Lindstrom • Marplon • Leonard McCoy • O'Neill • • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • • Tula • Nyota Uhura Starships and vehicles : ( heavy cruiser) Locations :Beta III Races and cultures :Betan • Human • Vulcan Appendices Related media * Adaptations blish9.jpg|Novelized in Star Trek 9. blish9corgi.jpg|Novelization reprinted overseas in Star Trek 9. blish9corgiNEW.jpg|Novelization reprinted overseas in Star Trek 9. ruckkehr zum morgen.jpg|Novelization German language translation in Rückkehr zum Morgen. Video releases tos collector vhs.jpg|Collector's edition VHS release with "Space Seed". tOSseason1DVD.jpg|DVD release in ''TOS'' season 1. Images Episode images beta III.jpg|Beta III. landru.jpg| . marplon.jpg|Marplon. lindstrom.jpg|Ensign Christopher Lindstrom. oNeil.jpg|O'Neil. return of the Archons.jpg tOS planet.jpg Related images ent1701VHScoll.jpg|The . crewVHScoll1.jpg|The crew. crewVHScoll2.jpg|The crew. ent1701blish9.jpg Timeline | voyages1 = TOS | adbefore1 = Web of the Romulans | adafter1 = Foundations, Book Two }} External link * * category:tOS episodes category:tOS season 1